Ophthalmic massage instrument



Jan. 3, 1928. 1,654,888

F. KING OPHTHALMIC MASSAGE INSTRUMENT Filed March 1926 Patented Jan. 3, 1928. 1

PATENT OFFICE.

'iF RANCIS KING, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

OPHTHALMIC MASSAGE INSTRUMENT.

Application filed March 25, 1926. Serial N0. 97,212.

,My invention relates to an ophthalmic massage instrument that is especially designed for imparting pressure, suction, and

vibratory massage movement to the eye ball for the treatment of various optical troubles and lrregularities such as near-slghtedness, fa-r-sightedness, astigmatism, muscle imbalance, inflamed and congested eyes, or in fact any irregular condition of the eye that will lend itself to scientific treatment with the aid of vibratory or massaging movement, the pressure or suction of a fluid medium such as air or water and the beneficial action of radioactive material.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a relatively simple and practical instrument that may be readily used by pa tients for self-treatment; to provide an ophthalmic device of the character referred to that may be used after the manner of an ordinary eye cup for the purpose of treating the front portion of the eye ball with Water, either pure or containing healing agents; ,further, to construct the device so that it may be partially collapsed or contracted in order that the water or liquid contained within the device will exert pres sure against the front portion of the eye ball for the treatment of certain irregular conditions; and further, to provide a device that may be readily rotated for the purpose of imparting to the eye ball and its muscles a beneficial vibratory movement or massage.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which 1 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ophthalmic instrument constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken lengthwise through the center of my improved instrument and showing the applicator applied to dotted lines. i

'Referring by numerals to the accompany- I an eye ball, the latter being illustrated in ing drawings which illustrate a practical.

embodiment of my invention, designates a hollow body, preferably formed of rubber and either round or ovoid in shape. Both ends of this body are provided with openings that are surrounded by marginal beads 11 and extending through the opening at the lower end of said body is a short tubular member 12,- the inner end of which is closed by a plate 13, the central portion of which is perforated as designated by 14.

The marginal portion of plate 13 functions as a flange 15 that overlies the inner face of the corresponding rib or head 11 and that portion of member 12 that projects through the opening in body 10 is externally threaded for the reception of a clamping plate 16 that bears directly against the outer face of the rib or bead 11 when the parts of the instrument are properly assembled.

Screw-seated on the outer end portion of member 12- is a cap 17 having a milled' edge. The chamber within member 12 may contain various substances which are of especial advantage in the treatment of ophthalmic troubles and irregularities, although for general purposes I prefer .to fill said space with a body 18 of radioactive material. i

Projecting through the opening at the upper end of the hollow body 10 is the inner portion of a short tubular member 19 with which is formed integral a flange 20 that overlies the rib or bead 1.1 that is formed on the correspondingend of the body 10. That portion of the tubular member 19 that projects into body 10 is threaded for the reception of a rmg-shaped clamping nut 21 that engages the inner face of the corresponding bead or flange 11.

' Rigidly fixed in any suitable manner on the outer end of tubular member 19 is a hemi-spherica-l cup-shaped applicator 22 that is formed of suitable material such as -metal, hard rubber, celluloid, or the like,

and arranged on the tubular member 19 between the inner end of this applicator and the flange 20 is a disk 23 having a milled edge and said disk being mounted so that it, will rotate freely upon said tubular member 19. v Loosely arranged on the tubular member 19 between the flange 20 and rotatably mounted disk 23 is a ring 24 to which is connected one end of ashort chain or cable 25 and the free end thereof carrying a stopper 26 that is adapted to enter the outer end of the tubular member 19 while the device is not in use.

When my improved ophthalmic instrument is utilized for massaging the eye ball and its muscles, the applicator 22 is positioned directly over and against the front portion of the eye and disk 23 is engaged between the thumb and finger of one hand while the thumb and fingers of the other hand engage the milled edge of cap 17. The thumb and fingers that engage the disk 23 retain the instrument in proper position for operation and by rotating cap 17 first in one direction and then in the reverse direction, intermittent rotary mot-ion will be imparted to the entire instrument with the exception of the disk 23, and thus the eye ball and its musclesare gently massaged with a vibratory rotary motion which is highly effective and beneficial in the treatment of all forms of muscle imbalance as well as for the relief of con estions, inflammations, and the like.

During the oscillatory rotary motion all contracted muscles are stretched, thereby bringing about a normal condition of such muscles and bringing about relief of the various unnatural conditions that result from muscle imbalance.

The device may be used as an ordinary eye cup for the purpose of washing and cleansing the eyes and likewise for applying to the eyes a cleansing or healing agent such as a boric acid solution. By filling the cup 12 with radioactive material and filling the collapsible hollow member 10 with water before the instrument is used, the highly beneficial results of radium treatment to the eyes may be obtained. By the use of radioactive material in the instrument new and healthy tissues-are created and at the same time germs and diseased tissue are destroyed.

For the treatment of myopia or near-sightedness the instrument is filled with water and applied to the eye and when the wall of member 10 is slightly collapsed a corresponding amount of pressure through the water will be applied directly to the front central portion of the eye ball and the cornea thereon; thus tending to shorten the eye ball. and consequently correcting the unnatural condiis constructed so that it may be used as an ordlna-ry eye cup for cleansing the eye or for the application of healing solutions thereto,

and the arrangement of a perforated container in the base of the instrument enables the user of the instrument to obtain the beneficial result-s that arise through the use of it healing agent such as radioactive materia Obviously the cup-shaped applicators 22 may be made in various sizes and interchangeably used on the outer end of tubular stem 19 and the outer edges of said, applicators, or the edges that are directly applied to the eye may be either round or oval in shape.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved ophthalmic instrument may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the

scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. In an ophthalmic instrument, a collapsible hollow member, a perforated container located in the base portion of said hollow member, an externally arranged cap for said perforated container, a stem projecting from the upper end of said hollow collapsible member, a disk mounted for rotary movemcnt upon said stem and a cup-shaped applicator carried by the outer end of said stem.

2. An ophthalmic instrument comprising a collapsible hollow member, a stem projecting from one end of said hollow member, a cup-shaped applicator carried by said stem, a disk mounted for rotary motionon said stem between the collapsible member and applicator and a perforated container detachably arranged in the base portion of said hollow collapsible member.

3. An ophthalmic massage instrument comprising a hollow collapsible member, a tubular stem detachably seated in one end of said container, an eye cup carried by the outer end of said stem, a disk loosely mounted on the stem between the eye cup and collapsible container, which disk is adapted to be engaged by the thumb andfinger when the instrument is used, a hollow member detachably seated in the end of the collapsible container opposite from the end inwhich the tubular stem is seated, the inner wall of. said hollow member being perforated and a cap removably mounted on the outer end of said hollow member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. I

' FRANCIS KING. 

